Train Cemeteries: the saddest, hottest and even underwater

Not every train is destined to become an exhibition exhibit and live out its life within the walls of the museum. Most of the trains that have served their time are simply written off. It is too expensive to dispose of them, special melting furnaces are needed, plus transportation costs, labor and other expenses. Unprofitable. Troublesome. It's easier to send everything to the landfill. Therefore, there are hundreds of train cemeteries in the world. These are amazing places. It's a little creepy to visit them, but it's very interesting. In fact, these are open-air museums, but no one takes care of such exhibits. Locomotives and wagons are rusting, gradually turning into dust. But interest in such places is growing, in some countries tourist routes are organized, involving visits to train cemeteries.

The hottest

It is located in South America. In Bolivia. The desert stores more than a hundred trains and wagons, daily burning metal with the sun and showering them with salt, which is carried by the wind. Once there was an industrial center for ore mining in this place. The railway was in demand and brought considerable income to the owners. However, as we know, the resources are exhausted, and over time the deposits have dried up. It became unprofitable to maintain the railway. She was simply abandoned. But they didn't forget. Since no one is guarding the dump, the locals are slowly pulling apart what can be dragged away and what cannot be painted in the style of graffiti, leaving autographs and commemorative drawings on the metal. So it's a pretty colorful place. The government of the country, of course, knows about this cemetery of trains. But it is not in a hurry to allocate funds for the disposal of scrap metal. Moreover, they want to make a popular tourist attraction out of this cemetery of trains. A campsite will be built nearby and excursions will take place around the cemetery. Therefore, in just 15 years, Bolivia can become the center of world tourism. We are waiting, sir.

Russian Train Cemetery

It is located in the Perm Region. At the small Shumkovo station, which used to be a dead end and was used for the repair of rolling stock. Hundreds of diesel locomotives and steam locomotives were stored here and were waiting for repair, but the era of electric trains came, and the old trains turned out to be unclaimed. So the workshop became a cemetery for trains. There are unique Soviet copies here. There were about 20 of them left, the rest were sold to China and distributed to museums. The place, unlike other cemeteries, is under protection. Not a strictly regime object, of course, but that's something... A pass is required to pass. But the locals say that it is always possible to negotiate with the watchman. One guard is clearly not enough here, so those trains that are far from the center have no components. But those that are closer to the center of the sump are still quite capable of driving on rails.

The Perm train cemetery is often used as a training ground for riot police. Therefore, it still benefits society.

And there is also a popular legend that at night steam locomotives try to travel along the destroyed tracks. The sounds of metal grinding and loud knocking can be heard at a fairly long distance. Mysticism or fiction? Who knows…

The saddest train cemetery

It is located in Ukraine at the Yanov station, which is not far from the infamous Chernobyl. Once this station was the main one in Pripyat, there was always a lot of traffic here. But after 1986, it turned into a ghost station, like the whole city. After the explosion of the nuclear reactor, workers hurriedly left the trains, fleeing from radiation. The irradiated wagons and locomotives remained on the tracks, rusting and collapsing from time to time. Now they almost don't sound. In the 90s, cleaning operations were carried out here. But it's still not entirely safe to be here. So far, connoisseurs of post-apocalyptic landscapes are coming here. There are not so many people who want to steal something from here for memory, but there are also such people. Local stalkers take away scrap metal, and what they could not carry away turns into dust under the influence of dampness. The station is not guarded by anyone, which is understandable.

It all looks really sad. It feels not just oblivion, but a real tragedy. Thousands of people, saving their lives, were forced to make a decision to leave in a matter of minutes. The trains here stand like orphans, as if waiting for people to come back for them.

Underwater cemetery

It is located in the USA, off the coast of New Jersey. It was discovered absolutely by accident in 1985. The cemetery is small, there are only 2 trains here, but these are rare Planet model T locomotives. They are small in size and weigh a little, so their production has not become serial, but they are more valuable.

The underwater cemetery of trains appeared by accident. According to one version, a barge carrying locomotives got caught in a storm, and in order to keep it on the water, the cargo was simply dumped into the sea. This is one of the possible reasons, since no documents and orders on this matter have been preserved in the archives.

The locomotives that have been under water for more than 160 years look quite decent and transportable. Therefore, now the US government is developing a project to lift equipment from the bottom of the sea and its subsequent restoration. In the meantime, lovers of exploring the underwater world can admire the amazing finds.

In Rostov-on-Don

There are many train cemeteries in Russia, not only in the Perm Region, but also in other regions. One of the most pathetic – in Rostov-on-Don. The object has an owner - the Museum of the North Caucasian Railway. The site is guarded. The steam locomotives and diesel locomotives brought here were planned to be reconstructed. But the years passed, and the good intentions never came true. The filling of engine compartments disappears from locomotives with an enviable frequency (especially copper parts). In fact, there is nothing left to restore. Unless someone is interested in the interior of the cars of the pre-war era. But all this has already become so covered with rust and overgrown with ivy that, perhaps, only fans of industrial photographs and young people who like to take selfies in such landscapes can attract. Free artists and parkourists periodically gather here. Some thematic events are being held, but in general the picture is sad, even depressing. Conclusion There are actually a lot of train cemeteries. There are them in Germany, in the UK, in Belgium and other developed countries. What can we say about the rest, where the railway industry is not profitable. Some of the cemeteries are large, so they attract more attention, other small ones are consigned to oblivion. Some of them are proudly called "storage bases". But in fact, you understand what these bases are. The same cemeteries, but they do not want to officially recognize them as such. It's the same story with marshalling yards, where trains have been standing for decades, gradually rusting and crumbling. The story is almost the same for everyone. Trains were going to be repaired, restored. But then the responsible persons had other plans, and it did not work out with the restoration of the railway exhibits. Their future is now a foregone conclusion - even metal under the influence of corrosion is destroyed. And if watchmen with dogs can still protect equipment from looters, then they are powerless in the face of time. Sad…